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Published on: August 28, 2018
SCCT Health Policy and Advocacy Efforts
Mark G Rabbat1, Jonathan R Weir-McCall2
1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, USA.
Insights
Reimbursement challenges hinder widespread adoption of cardiac computed tomography (CT) despite its proven benefits. Addressing payment discrepancies is crucial for expanding cardiac CT access and patient care.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Radiology
- Health Policy
Background:
- Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is increasingly recognized for its accuracy and clinical impact.
- Widespread adoption of cardiac CT is limited, particularly outside major academic centers.
- Reimbursement issues are a significant barrier to routine clinical integration of cardiac CT.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the discrepancy between cardiac CT costs and current reimbursement rates.
- To discuss the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography's (SCCT) advocacy efforts for improved policy and billing.
- To outline ongoing initiatives and future steps to enhance cardiac CT accessibility.
Main Methods:
- Review of current reimbursement policies for cardiac CT.
- Analysis of advocacy efforts by professional societies like the SCCT.
- Examination of engagement with legislative and governmental bodies (e.g., Congress, Medicare).
Main Results:
- A significant gap exists between the cost of performing cardiac CT and the reimbursement provided.
- Progress has been made in engaging policymakers to recognize the value of cardiac CT.
- There is growing momentum towards a payment system that reflects the expertise and time required for high-quality cardiac CT.
Conclusions:
- Addressing reimbursement is critical for realizing the full potential of cardiac CT in patient care.
- Continued advocacy and policy changes are necessary to facilitate broader clinical implementation.
- Collaborative efforts between cardiology, radiology, and policymakers are essential for advancing cardiac CT utilization.
Abstract:
Cardiac computed tomography has a growing presence in multiple guidelines supported by a growing evidence base as to its accuracy and impact on clinical outcomes. Despite this, dissemination into widespread routine clinical practice has been slow, largely restricted to large academic centers and urban settings. The reasons of this are multifactorial, but one of the most impactful of these reasons is undeniably reimbursement. Currently, there is marked discrepancy between the costs of performing cardiac CT and the renumeration provided for this. Until this is addressed, cardiac CT will not reach its potential for the benefit of patients. It is for this reason that the SCCT continues to dedicate significant efforts to represent the need of the cardiology and radiology communities in bringing about changes in policy and billing. Significant momentum has been gained in recent years with the engagement of both congress and Medicare in moving towards a system of payment that recognizes the time and expertise required to acquire high quality cardiac CT. In this article we cover these recent efforts, and the next steps in this continued effort over the coming years.
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